"Girl"

The passage “Girl”, by Jamaicia Kincaid I believe is about a mother explaining to her daughter the ways she must act to be the ideal women. The mother gives her guidance throughout the passage wanting her to have social manners and domesticity. The mother gives instructions and commands, I believe to give her the tools to be independent, strong, and respected as a young aspiring women. The mother is setting out rules and giving commands to her daughter to lead her daughter into a better path and to teach her to make smart decisions in life. I see her mother trying to show her daughter that independence is given to those who listen, and learn. She tries to teach her to be independent as far as doing things for her self. Some of the mother instructions were, “ this is how to sew on a button(12), this is how to catch a fish(34), this is how to make good medicine for a cold”(32) all three benefit her daughter, and will give her the ability stand for her own two feet. The mother goes on about how to care and live the routine life of a lady and from these instructions, the mother I feel hopes her daughter will make the best decisions. The passage is full of evidence of the mother trying to create a strong, self- supporting young women. The instructions she gives to her daughter are to help her with the daily duties of a lady. I would describe her mother really being strong minded and wanting only her words of advice to be followed. When the mother instructs on the topic of men, she gives what seems like three tips, “ this is how bully a man, this is how a man bullies you and ,this is how to love a

man”(35-36) all given to help with marriage and the duties that come with becoming a wife. These pointers her mother gives her in the passage are ment only for her daughter to blossom as a strong wife, and strong women. These instructions come off as demands the mother gives to the daughter, but I see more than just the “strict mother”, and her rules